Chapter 24: An Age of Modernity, Anxiety, and Imperialism (1894-1914)
The Big Ideas
1. One prominent theme in this chapter was the fact that during the end of the 19th century, advancements in science pushed human intellect to the next plateau. Progress was particularly strong in the field of physics, where developments that began in the 19th century with French scientists Marie and Pierre Curie and carried on into the 20th century with the work of Albert Einstein brought serious question to the widely accepted standard that Newtonian physics had established. Marie and Pierre discovered that radium gave off energy known as radiation, and German physicist Max Planck built on this with the discovery of "quanta", which were irregular patterns of energy radiated from a heated body. However, it was Einstein that seriously challenged Newton's principals with his Theory of Relativity, which stated that space and time were relative to the person observing them.
2. Another overarching theme of this chapter in European history was the emergence of a new band of philosophers, ones who contradicted the scientific progress of the time by praising irrational thought and condemning reason. Various intellectuals made solid attacks against rationale; Nietzsche questioned why the populace followed reason when being at the mercy of so many irrational powers while also attacking Christianity for inhibiting human progress, Bergson stressed that rationale was at times practical but ultimately unable to uncover pure truth, and Sorel pushed for violent rebellions to vanquish capitalism.
3. As science and technology began to weave into everyday life even more than before, Christianity fell victim to harsh criticism. Churches responded in many ways, from directly condemning all modern ideals to embracing the concept of Modernism, in which churches attempted to adapt Christianity to the intellectual developments of the era.
4. Finally, the developments taking place in science and intellectual thought occurred parallel to progress in literature and art. Writers and artists alike began to embrace realism, portraying life as realistically as possible in both writing and artwork. Impressionism, or portraying life as one perceives it rather than truly realistic, and later Post-Impressionism, which maintained the ideas of Impressionism but also incorporated elements of structure, form and geometry, took a firm hold upon artists of the era such as Monet and Van Gogh.
Essential Questions
1. How did the new developments in science change the way Europeans viewed their existence?
2. Why do you think the developments made in scientific thought were (being challanged) directly contradicted by the intellectual developments from philosophers of the time (late 19th century-early 20th)?
3. How did the Imperialism of the late 19th century and early 20th century differ from the previously established idea of Imperialism?
4. How did the realistic approach to literature and art both support and challenge the scientific and technological developments of the time?
"If some initial expense is incurred, is it not justified by the ultimate gain? I have already pointed out what other nations are doing in the way of railway extension. The government is not asked to provide the capital of the railway, but only a guarantee on the subscribed capital.... Independently of money spent on railways, the conquest of Algeria alone cost France £150,000,000, and it is estimated that her West Coast colonies cost her half a million yearly. Italy spends on her Abyssinian protectorate a sum variously estimated at £400,000 or £600,000 per annum. Belgium, besides her heavy expenses for the Congo railway, the capital of which she has advanced without interest, guarantees £80,000 per annum to the Congo state, and is altering her constitution in order to allow her to take over that state as a colonial possession. Germany has spent over a million sterling in East Africa, besides her expenditure on the west and southwest colonies. The parallel is here complete, for the German company failed, and government stepped in to carry out the pledges and obligations incurred. Even Portugal is content to support a yearly deficit on each of her African possessions, gives heavy subsidies to the mail steamers, and £10,000 per annum to the cable. All these nations are content to incur this yearly cost in the present, confident that in the future these possessions will repay the outlay, and willing to be at a national expense to fulfill their treaty obligations under the Brussels Act." (Paragraph 2)
Analysis: One can clearly see upon reading this article how strong of a role nationalism played in New Imperialism. The author of this journal entry explains how the key to establishing rule in Africa lies in exemplifying the superiority of European culture, despite the fact that the indigenous culture is much more practical for Africa. This approach to Imperialism was undoubtedly successful in other areas such as India, but was met with serious reprecussions in Africa, resulting in deaths due to disease, unsuccessful farming attempts, and other problems.
Monet exemplifies Impressionism within this painting by utilizing short, quick brush strokes to give the river depth when contrasted to the dock on which various people stand. This depth that Monet was profound at expressing is the very reason that Impressionism got its name. Monet also further embellishes Impressionism when examining the actual area within the painting, which is a river that the middle-class of Paris often visited as a means of relaxation.
This map illustrates the conquest of Africa by various European nations during the later 19th and early 20th century. One can clearly see that England has the strongest hold on the continent, followed closely by France. These two nations, arguably the most powerful nations in the world at the time, engaged in serious competition over the exploitation of Africa's resources, with England eventually expressing dominance after World War I. Germany held various small outposts scattered across the continent, but was forced to forfeit these claims after the harsh outcome of the Great War.
Ten Terms You NEED to Know
Quanta Theory of Relativity Naturalism Impressionism Post-Impressionism Christian Socialism Zionism New Imperialism Great Trek "Open Door"
Chapter 24: An Age of Modernity, Anxiety, and Imperialism (1894-1914)
The Big Ideas
1. One prominent theme in this chapter was the fact that during the end of the 19th century, advancements in science pushed human intellect to the next plateau. Progress was particularly strong in the field of physics, where developments that began in the 19th century with French scientists Marie and Pierre Curie and carried on into the 20th century with the work of Albert Einstein brought serious question to the widely accepted standard that Newtonian physics had established. Marie and Pierre discovered that radium gave off energy known as radiation, and German physicist Max Planck built on this with the discovery of "quanta", which were irregular patterns of energy radiated from a heated body. However, it was Einstein that seriously challenged Newton's principals with his Theory of Relativity, which stated that space and time were relative to the person observing them.2. Another overarching theme of this chapter in European history was the emergence of a new band of philosophers, ones who contradicted the scientific progress of the time by praising irrational thought and condemning reason. Various intellectuals made solid attacks against rationale; Nietzsche questioned why the populace followed reason when being at the mercy of so many irrational powers while also attacking Christianity for inhibiting human progress, Bergson stressed that rationale was at times practical but ultimately unable to uncover pure truth, and Sorel pushed for violent rebellions to vanquish capitalism.
3. As science and technology began to weave into everyday life even more than before, Christianity fell victim to harsh criticism. Churches responded in many ways, from directly condemning all modern ideals to embracing the concept of Modernism, in which churches attempted to adapt Christianity to the intellectual developments of the era.
4. Finally, the developments taking place in science and intellectual thought occurred parallel to progress in literature and art. Writers and artists alike began to embrace realism, portraying life as realistically as possible in both writing and artwork. Impressionism, or portraying life as one perceives it rather than truly realistic, and later Post-Impressionism, which maintained the ideas of Impressionism but also incorporated elements of structure, form and geometry, took a firm hold upon artists of the era such as Monet and Van Gogh.
Essential Questions
1. How did the new developments in science change the way Europeans viewed their existence?2. Why do you think the developments made in scientific thought were (being challanged) directly contradicted by the intellectual developments from philosophers of the time (late 19th century-early 20th)?
3. How did the Imperialism of the late 19th century and early 20th century differ from the previously established idea of Imperialism?
4. How did the realistic approach to literature and art both support and challenge the scientific and technological developments of the time?
Primary Source - Written
The Rise of Our East African Empire, 1893 by Captain F. D. Lugard"If some initial expense is incurred, is it not justified by the ultimate gain? I have already pointed out what other nations are doing in the way of railway extension. The government is not asked to provide the capital of the railway, but only a guarantee on the subscribed capital.... Independently of money spent on railways, the conquest of Algeria alone cost France £150,000,000, and it is estimated that her West Coast colonies cost her half a million yearly. Italy spends on her Abyssinian protectorate a sum variously estimated at £400,000 or £600,000 per annum. Belgium, besides her heavy expenses for the Congo railway, the capital of which she has advanced without interest, guarantees £80,000 per annum to the Congo state, and is altering her constitution in order to allow her to take over that state as a colonial possession. Germany has spent over a million sterling in East Africa, besides her expenditure on the west and southwest colonies. The parallel is here complete, for the German company failed, and government stepped in to carry out the pledges and obligations incurred. Even Portugal is content to support a yearly deficit on each of her African possessions, gives heavy subsidies to the mail steamers, and £10,000 per annum to the cable. All these nations are content to incur this yearly cost in the present, confident that in the future these possessions will repay the outlay, and willing to be at a national expense to fulfill their treaty obligations under the Brussels Act." (Paragraph 2)
Analysis: One can clearly see upon reading this article how strong of a role nationalism played in New Imperialism. The author of this journal entry explains how the key to establishing rule in Africa lies in exemplifying the superiority of European culture, despite the fact that the indigenous culture is much more practical for Africa. This approach to Imperialism was undoubtedly successful in other areas such as India, but was met with serious reprecussions in Africa, resulting in deaths due to disease, unsuccessful farming attempts, and other problems.
Primary Source - Visual
"La grenouillère" by Claude Monet, 1869Monet exemplifies Impressionism within this painting by utilizing short, quick brush strokes to give the river depth when contrasted to the dock on which various people stand. This depth that Monet was profound at expressing is the very reason that Impressionism got its name. Monet also further embellishes Impressionism when examining the actual area within the painting, which is a river that the middle-class of Paris often visited as a means of relaxation.
Map of Imperialism in Africa, 1914
Click Here YoThis map illustrates the conquest of Africa by various European nations during the later 19th and early 20th century. One can clearly see that England has the strongest hold on the continent, followed closely by France. These two nations, arguably the most powerful nations in the world at the time, engaged in serious competition over the exploitation of Africa's resources, with England eventually expressing dominance after World War I. Germany held various small outposts scattered across the continent, but was forced to forfeit these claims after the harsh outcome of the Great War.
Ten Terms You NEED to Know
Quanta
Theory of Relativity
Naturalism
Impressionism
Post-Impressionism
Christian Socialism
Zionism
New Imperialism
Great Trek
"Open Door"
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